Singles
The Saturdays' Issues is out now
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Friday, 09, Jan 2009 01:34
Britain's in the middle of a cold snap so it must be the first actual week of the new year. To help fend off the bleak mid-winter try some new singles releases including DMT, Travis and the Saturdays.
Single of the Week
DMT: Touch You
Universal Records; out January 12th
If you combined Ne-Yo and DJ Ironik then DMT would be the result - a fusion of electro, rap and soul to form an outfit more than capable of whipping up club and chart bangers.
DMT are Daniel de Bourg, Matt Qualifide and Taz. Singer de Bourg has been described by R Kelly as: "One of the greatest voices of our generation."
He has recently returned from LA where he was writing with the Black Eyed Eyes, Jamie Foxx and Tim and Bob.
Previously he has teamed up with R Kelly, Jamelia and the Neptunes.
He was also the vocalist on DJ Ironik's top five hit Stay With Me.
Matt Qualifide, since starting Qualifide Recordings at the turn of the century, has been bubbling up from the UK underground dance scene.
He has leant his superb remixing skills to the likes of Nightcrawlers and the Lighthouse Family.
It's Qualifide who keeps DMT on a tight beat but during the first session of recording Touch Me, he and rapper Taz realised the track would benefit from some smooth vocals, so they called in singer Daniel de Bourg.
Rapper Taz rounds out the DMT trinity. He started his career in 2004 producing and writing for Dizzee Rascal.
Taz was the first UK rapper to be signed to Def Jam UK. He has produced official remixes for Ashanti and Akon. Taz has also been nominated for a MOBO award as best newcomer and has toured with Dizzee Rascal and Sean Paul.
As DMT Taz, de Bourg and Qualifide gel superbly on Touch Me which resonates with class, sly grooves and deliciously delirious garage-edged attitude.
While you get hints of all these elements with the original mix things get kicked into high gear with the Dubwise remix and the sensational instrumental version.
Although it's the upfront radio edit that will be slipping into your sensibilities courtesy of de Bourg's rich vocals and Taz's brash rapping interludes. However, without Qualifide's assured mixing and production powers DMT would not soar.
Travis: Song To Self
Red Telephone Box; out January 12th
Dull stuff that prompts a note to self: Travis may have had their day.
Pendulum: Showdown
Warner Bros Records/Ear Storm; out now
Lifted from the album In Silico, Showdown, written and produced by Rob Swire, is a mixed bag of earache-inducing dance beats that are a tad embarrassing and hackneyed rock overtones.
There's a whiff of the KLF circa America, What Time Is Love monkeying around with the Prodigy on this single resulting in a morass of self-indulgence.
It's a pity as Pendulum's recent single Propane Nightmares was a moody and memorable jaunt through two musical genres.
However, there's no doubting Pendulum's growing mainstream appeal as the band have played to packed-out houses in Denver, Toronto and LA.
They have also rocked the crowds at Download, Creamfields and T In The Park.
To read the inthenews.co.uk review of In Silico, click here
To read the inthenews.co.uk interview with Pendulum, click here
The Saturdays: Issues
Fascination Records; out now
Like Girls Aloud's younger sisters, the Saturdays exploded upon the pop firmament in 2008.
Now they're back with the touching, radio-friendly mid-tempo US-styled ballad Issues.
Describing the new song Vanessa said: "It's about a person not knowing if they want to be with someone or not - it's a situation a lot of people find themselves in."
Issues was penned by New York-based songwriting duo Evan Rogers and Carl Stuken, who have written for Rihanna and Christina Aguilera.
Issues follows on from Up, a top five hit for the Saturdays and is lifted from the girls' recently released album Chasing Lights.
The Saturdays have performed for MTV and Perez Hilton alongside Estelle and the Ting Tings.
Also released
Fall Out Boy: America's Suiteheart
Island/Def Jam: out January 12th
To watch the America's Suitehearts video, click here
Razoright: Hostage of Love
Vertigo/Mercury; out January 12th
Lee Davis